Japan Introduces Visa-free Policy to Chinese Young...First Private Helicopter in China Takes Off ...60,000 Chinese Smokers Join Intel Quit-smoking Competition ...Chinese Web Media Hunan Trip ...
Groups of Chinese primary and middle school students will be able to go to Japan without a visa this summer.
The new preferential policy followed by the Japanese government has been providing students with a free of cost visas since April; however, starting this summer, the visa will no longer be required.
Less than 800 Chinese youngsters traveled to Japan last year.
The Japanese government has also applied the visa-free policy to South Korea. The number of visiting students from the country in the last three months is approaching half the total number of all of last year.
Insiders say the Japanese government expects the visa exemption to boost tourism and promote exchanges between the Japanese youngsters and their peers from other Asian countries.
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The first private helicopter in China has taken off in Xianyang city of China's northwest Shannxi Province.
Luo Xiaoping, owner of the helicopter, boarded with his co-pilot Saturday to fly over the outskirts of the city.
The business man spent 200 thousand yuan, or about 24 US dollars, for his pilot's license during one month of hard training at Guangzhou's Baiyun airport.
He ordered the American-made helicopter and paid 6 million yuan, or close to 725 thousand US dollars.
The owner said the helicopter is not only for his own personal use, but will also be used by local police in emergency cases.
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Nearly 60,000 Chinese smokers have joined the International Quit & Win 2004 competition.
China's deputy health minister said on Sunday that the number of Chinese participants this year almost doubled from the last competition two years ago.
The International Quit & Win 2004 is being held during May this year in some 100 countries world wide.
Adult daily smokers who have smoked for at least one year are eligible for the contest.
Those who abstain from smoking and using other tobacco products for a four-week period starting May 2 may have the opportunity of getting a 10,000 yuan prize from the Chinese government and a 10,000 US dollar prize from the World Health Organization.
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A group of 71 Chinese web media reporters have gathered in Changsha, the capital city of South China's Hunan Province, to attend a large-scale Chinese web media interviewing activity, called the "Third Anniversary" of Rednet.com.cn.. The activity, which opened on Sunday, is aimed at boosting the development of Hunan in the 21st Century and establishing the province as a symbol of stable reform and development. The week-long activity will cover four major industrial and tourist cities in Hunan. They are Changsha, the capital city as well as the first stop of the activity, Xiangtan, Changde and Zhangjiajie. Contents of the activities of this large scale media trip include local governmental press conferences, visits to some of the major local business and travel industries, experiencing the local culture and so on. 28 web media throughout the country and 18 local media were invited to cover this important event. Major news websites of Chinese central government such as People.com, Xinhuanet, Chinaorg, China youth online, China daily are represented in the activity. Five Chinese portals like Sina, Sohu, Tom.com, netease and 21cn as well as some other important provincial and local media are also involved in reporting this massive trip to Hunan. CRI Online also sent Kong Xiaoling and Sun Yaping to report this important event. To get more information about this activity, please log on to our website Hunan Through a Click feature. The activity is sponsored by the Publicizing Department of CCP Hunan Provincial Committee and Hunan People's Government News Office and Rednet.com.cn as well as Hunan AVA Dairy Co. Ltd.
